Our favorite coffee shop made BLTs this summer that poems should be written about. Once of the special things they do is use a harissa mayonnaise, so now I need to make this harissa and start my own experiments

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There are few things that make me want to cook less than Josh not being home and knowing that I’ll be doing all of the cooking just for myself . This has been made even worse by living in New York and always having the ability to have various types of food delivered to my door in less time than it normally takes me to cook much of anything. Also, no dishes to hand wash if I go the ordering route.

Never underestimate the power of laziness.

However, I really don’t like to see how much that cost adds up. $10 here, $15 there… no thanks.

The challenge is finding meals that will take less than half an hour, and preferably be made with ingredients that I always have around. Armed with the knowledge that Josh will start traveling a few days a month very soon, I started experimenting the other night, and had my first success!

I set the pot of water for the pasta on the stove as soon as I walked in the door, then made it back into the kitchen in comfy clothes a few minutes later, had everything prepped by the time the water started boiling, and about 10 minutes later? Creamy, carby, salty meal for one.

Perfect.

Carbonara

4 oz linguine

2 slices of bacon, chopped

1 egg

1/3 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese

Freshly ground pepper

1 handful of frozen peas (optional)

Start by boiling a large pot of salted water.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, cheese, and a lot of freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.

Once the water is boiling, add the noodles. Set your timer according to the package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, place a medium frying pan over medium high heat, and cook your bacon until the fat has rendered and it’s nice and crispy. Add your peas and toss around for about a minute. If your pasta isn’t quite ready, turn the heat to low.

When the pasta is al dente, set aside about 1 cup of pasta water, then drain your pasta.

Add the hot, drained pasta to the bacon and peas, and toss quickly to coat in bacon fat. Then immediately add the pasta/bacon/peas mixture to the mixing bowl with your egg/cheese/pepper and toss well. Add splashes of the hot pasta water until the pasta is creamy and glossy.

Serve, and enjoy eating every bite yourself.

Don’t think about the dishes.

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My apologies for being such a tease and promising this recipe for so long with no follow through. The season change and shorter days always take some adjustments in terms of getting good natural light for the photos, and it’s almost fully dark by the time I get home.

However, this weekend, I planned ahead! WIN!

We’ve been eating these treats for about a month now, partially because they’re insanely delicious and full of healthy ingredients, and partly because, well, they’re easy.

1 Tbsp maca (completely optional, but I like the faintly butterscotch flavor and all of the vitamins and minerals it brings)

Line a muffin pan with paper liners, and set aside.

Combine all ingredients except for the brown rice puffs in a small saucepan over low heat, and stir until well combined and glossy. Taste and make any adjustments (I tend to like things a little on the saltier side).

In a large mixing bowl, combine the rice puffs and the cacao mixture and stir until all of the puffs are well coated.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin cups and lightly pat down with your fingertips. You will probably have some extra mixture, and I highly encourage eating it by the spoonful to reward yourself for all of this hard work.

Not that I’ve done that.

Place the muffin tin in the freezer until the treats have set, then transfer, still in the paper liners, into a large ziploc bag and keep in the freezer. Since there’s so much coconut oil, these will remain nice and solid as long as they stay cold, but can definitely get messy as they warm up.

Eat straight from the freezer and enjoy.

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Every week we make a meal plan for the week ahead. The plan accounts for 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches (plus fruit), 4 snacks, and 5 dinners for the two of us. Lunch ideas are typically a double batch of whatever the recipe calls for. I make the lunches and do other various prep work on Sunday. Nearly all items are purchased from either our local farmers market or Whole Foods. We are currently living in New York City, so things are more expensive than average.

Enjoying our last few weeks in New York

October 19-October 25

We’re approaching the end of our time here, so I’m trying to use up the random things in our fridge and a lightening our pantry load a little. Including using the last of our curry paste. Also know that we’ll probably go out a little more than usual in the next couple of weeks, trying to do a last round of our favorite restaurants.

Total cost: Roughly $85

Average cost per meal per person, with snacks tucked into the mix: $3.15

Breakfast

Oatmeal– double batch, with cinnamon and raisins thrown in while cooking.

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Every week we make a meal plan for the week ahead. The plan accounts for 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches (plus fruit), 4 snacks, and 5 dinners for the two of us. Lunch ideas are typically a double batch of whatever the recipe calls for. I make the lunches and do other various prep work on Sunday. Nearly all items are purchased from either our local farmers market or Whole Foods. We are currently living in New York City, so things are more expensive than average.

Moving time!

October 12- October 18

Shortened meal plan due to the fact that we just got back from Cincinnati. In big news: WE’RE MOVING TO CINCINNATI! So crazy. Two weeks from tomorrow, movers will come and start to pack up our apartment. It’s all getting real!